Bridge Fest to rock the Lake Houston Bridge Feb. 6

Sneakers will pound the pavement of West Lake Houston Parkway as the 18th annual Lake Houston Family YMCA Bridge Fest is set to take off Feb. 6.

The event is open to the community and features four different races to suit a variety of age groups from participants 6 years old and under to the 5K Family Run and Walk.

Sponsors like Kingwood Medical Center, who has been the title sponsor for the past 14 years, help cover the operating costs of Bridge Fest while 100 percent of the net profits will go toward the Lake Houston Family YMCA and East Montgomery County YMCA Partners scholarship campaign.

“We are always very excited about Bridge Fest because it is a lot of fun for the whole family,” Carol Sutton, marketing director for the YMCA, said.

“We are also excited that all proceeds from the event will stay in the community and go toward our Partners campaign which helps families who cannot afford the cost of the YMCA services and programs.”

New to the event this year is that all runners will wear chips which will time their run in their respective race. The chip will record the exact time they cross the finish line.

Additionally, the Christ the King Burnt Offering Cooking Krew is providing a barbecue celebration for guests after the run which will include barbecue chicken for adults and hot dogs for kids and other guests.

“The barbecue is being provided by the Cooking Krew and they are accepting donations which will go toward our Partners campaign as well; we are very thankful for their help,” Sutton added.

After the 5K run/walk is complete, there is an awards ceremony where male and female runners in each age category of the race are recognized for first, second and third place as well as an overall top male and female.

Three area physical education teachers have also encouraged schools to sign up for the elementary challenge. The school that has the highest percentage of participation in Bridge Fest of their total school enrollment will receive a trophy to display at their school and a party for those who participated. Shadow Forest Elementary was the winner of the challenge last year.

The four different races are the half-mile kid’s race for participants 6 years old and younger, one-mile race for kids 7 to 10 years old, one-mile kid’s race for participants aged 11 to 14 years old, and the 5K Family Run and Walk.

All participants will receive a T-shirt and registration is now open for all guests who would like to participate in Bridge Fest. Registration will be open all the way up until 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the race.

“Our goal this year for the Partners campaign is $185,000. Last year we raised $35,000 alone with Bridge Fest and we expect to exceed that amount this year,” Sutton said. “We invite everyone to come join us for a fun morning.”